Haisla input needed as the Haisla Nation Land Use Plan is developed

The Haisla Nation is currently working to create a Land Use Plan to help guide the future growth and development of the community. The Land Use Plan will create a set of policies explaining how the land can be used in different areas of the Haisla community for both development and protection. The plan will contain a set of maps and documents recording the community’s goals and aspirations. We are currently working on a public engagement strategy for engaging the entire community so that the history, knowledge, and future vision of the community is fully realized in the Land Use Plan.

The first step will be to reach out to the community to introduce the project and team, discuss community goals and aspirations, and to ultimately form a community vision which will guide the land use plan. Opportunities and constraints will be discussed with community members to ensure that historical areas are protected and future development areas are agreed on by the community.

The overall goal of the public engagement strategy is to work with the Haisla community to create a plan that reflects the desires of the community as a whole and that is in line with the Haisla mission statement.

The mission of the Haisla is to build a powerful prosperous and proud community, healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

All community members are encouraged to participate in the various forms of public engagement throughout the next 6-8 months. It is anticipated that the community engagement strategy will be reviewed and refined by the Land Advisory Committee to ensure that the plan meets the needs of the community as the project progresses and to ensure that we reach out to as many Haisla community members as possible.

We need YOUR input into the creation of the Haisla Nation Land Use Plan! The land use plan will guide the future growth of the community to ensure that development occurs in a logical, responsible manner and to ensure that other Haisla lands such as heritage sites, environmentally sensitive sites, and resource extraction sites are protected. The Land Use Plan will be developed over the next 6-8 months and an important part of the plan creation will be input from you, the Haisla community.

We are currently working on a detailed roll out strategy to seek input from all interested Haisla Members. This will include reaching out to Elders, Youth, Members at large, the Lands Advisory Committee and Chief & Council. In the next few months we will circulate a draft document and host open houses in Kitamaat Village and Vancouver to make sure people have even further opportunity to provide feedback.

The LAND ADVISORY COMMITTEE has stressed that we want to get full feedback from the membership at every step of the way . We want everyone to know that your voice matters and will be heard. The Land Advisory Committee consists of Liz Robinson (Chair), Marilyn Furlan, Fred Ringham, Sherry Smith, Cyril Grant Jr and Brent Robinson.

In an advisory role we have Whitney Lukuku, Chris Wilson, Colin Light and Patti Wight (from the Land Advisory Board).